Fandom Fest's SciFi/Fantasy/Horror Vacation Get-Away

Fandom Fest Brings Large New Literary Track to Louisville Amid  Major Expansion of Fright Night Film Fest

Marquee celebrities like Hollywood legends John Carpenter and Henry Winkler will command great attention at the Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest weekend July 22-24, 2011, in Louisville, KY.  Alongside the wide array of premium Hollywood and media personalities, an incredible opportunity beckons for writers, gamers, readers, artists, filmmakers, pop culture fans, costuming enthusiasts, and many more.

Fandom Fest represents a bold expansion of the popular Fright Night Film Fest, establishing several new tracks, genres, and a host of activities catering to pop culture, science fiction, steampunk, anime, costuming, and fantasy.  The event builds upon Fright Night Film Fest’s strong horror legacy, growing from its inception in 2005 to become the third largest genre festival in the United States.

Fandom Fest’s brand new Literary Track alone features over a hundred participating authors, covering over 55 expert panels, 20 workshops, and a large number of live readings, author signings, and book launches.  From the current state of publishing, to intensive writing workshops, and workshops in topics like self-publishing and e-Book development, the panels and workshops of the Literary Track have something to offer attendees from all levels of experience.  As a comprehensive learning, networking, and career development opportunity, Fandom Fest’s 2011 content is unprecedented in its region.

Major press authors such as Julie Kagawa (The Iron Faery Series), Molly Harper (Jane Jameson Series), Eric Wilson (Fireproof, Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy), Shirley Damsgaard (The Ophelia and Abby Mysteries), Michael Williams (one of the first DragonLance novelists), and Maurice Broaddus (Knights of Breton Court) are just a few examples of the well-established, award-winning authors from all across the United States who are attending.

Editors and publishers of many levels round out the impressive list of track participants., The Literary Track’s sponsor is Belle Books/Bell Bridge Books, who also happen to be sponsoring the prestigious Dragon*Con’s 2011 Writer’s Track.  The main genres being featured at Fandom Fest are primarily fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but the Literary Track programming caters to writers of any genre, with panelists from spheres such as mystery, romance, and even erotica.

The new gaming track unveils an array of panels, tournaments, special guests, and much more, debuting yet another new section of the event.  Tabletop role-playing games, video games, board games, and even Live

Action Role Playing are scheduled throughout the weekend with a strong team of gaming hosts.  Attendees include representatives of highly regarded game companies/publishers such as DriveThruRPG,  Pinnacle

Entertainment Group, SilverMeet Studios, Hex Games, Beautiful Brains, and Blackwyrm Publishing.

A multitude of vendors will fill the concourses of the Fern Valley Hotel and Convention Center at Fandom Fest.  Gaming stores, publishers, authors, crafts, production companies, memorabilia dealers, actors, artists, and much, much more will be available for convention attendees to browse and buy one-of-a-kind items from.

Even the live music portion of the event advances with a concert from international rock act Bella Morte, whose frontman, Andy Deane, is also a horror author appearing on the Literary Track.  Fast rising heavy metal/hard rock prospect ZeroKing is slated to open for Bella Morte.

From gatherings of cast members from popular franchises like Revenge of the Nerds, Enter the Dragon, Jem, and The Walking Dead (including Tony Moore, artist and co-creator), to icons such as Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve Superman films), Kane Hodder (Jason Vorhees in several Friday the 13th installments), and Larry Drake (Dark Night of the Scarecrow, Dr. Giggles, and Darkman), the list of attending film and media guests contains something for everyone.  For the thousands in attendance, there will be more than enough to choose from in regards to programming, events, activities, parties, and celebrities.

Best of all, standard weekend passes are just $45 dollars, which is much less than the cost of genre events which are a small fraction of the size of Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest.   In value, content, and affordability, Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest is poised to become one of the top events of its kind in the United States.

For further information on the 2011 event, please visit  www.fandomfest.comor www.frightnightfilmfest.com

Direct Links related to Literary and Gaming Tracks:

Literary Track Guests:

Literary Track Programming:  

 

Gaming Track Guests: http://www.fandomfest.com/gaming-guests/

Gaming Track Schedule and Programming:  http://www.fandomfest.com/gaming/

The Bronze and The Brimstone by Lory S. Kaufman

The trio of pending juvenile find the real past is dramatically different than the sanitized version shown in History Camp. 

Mr. Kaufman’s has hit the mark again.   This book is very entertaining and captivating while showing the gritty realities of previous centuries.   This is  possibly a very sneaky way of introducing real history.  Having taught history I always was dismayed how difficult it was to get kids excited about it.   Mr. Kaufman is providing a dose of history disguised as just fun reading.

Historic condition being what they were, the author even shows some insight as to why the nobles may have been so despotic in their behavior.  That was quite well done.  

In my opinion, Lory S. Kaufman has got game! 

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Lory S. Kaufman

Web Site: http://www.history-camp.com/

A Time For Patriots by Dale Brown

In the not too distant future, the economy is in the toilet, a President is trying to cope with draconian measures, important programs have been cut and General Patrick McLanahan is in the middle of another action adventure thriller.

I was a bit surprised that Jon Master’s character seemed emasculated in this book.   In previous books he seemed far more assertive.   The gadgets and goodies you expect from Dale Brown were here but not as much in the forefront as in previous books.    Patrick McLanahan seemed more real and not as omnipotent as in previous books.   

Once again the story line is a logically drawn thread from today’s news headlines.   One can only hope it is a thread the nation doesn’t follow.   This is another good thriller from Dale Brown.  I felt that his past books were more optimistic; this book seemed to see a less hopeful future.

 I recommend the book .

Body of  work of Dale Brown

Web Site: http://www.megafortress.com/index02.htm

The Witcher Series: The Pride of Poland A Guest Post

I'll be the first to admit that I had no idea Poland had such a great literary, gaming, and entertainment industry. I knew that the mind-bending Solaris came from Polish author Stanislaw Lem, but that was pretty much the end of my knowledge of Polish media. However, while visiting Poland last month, President Obama received Poland's latest cultural gem. Prime Minister Donald Tusk presented him a Collector's Edition of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

This summer, CD Projekt (a Polish video game developer and publisher) pleasantly surprised gamers across the globe with the release of The Witcher 2. To put it frankly, this game rules. Across all reviews and all gaming criteria (including combat mechanics, customization, graphics, environments, immersiveness, and storytelling), The Witcher 2 performed above and beyond. The game was so exceptional that I went back and played through the original Witcher, which was also very good. Both stories had vivid environments, great action, and even greater stories.

It is no surprise then that The Witcher is actually a Polish literary series of short stories and novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski. In the series, Witchers are fiend-hunters who undergo special training and modify their bodies to grant them supernatural abilities that allow them to battle extremely menacing creatures and still keep their lives. Sapkowski's literary style is extremely vivid and similar to Tolkien although his main protagonist is much darker. The Witcher series reveal the shades of gray in everyone.

For the most part the entire literary series as well as the video game follows Geralt of Rivia, one of the few remaining Witchers. Unlike most fantasy plotlines, especially for video game series, Geralt is not a clear-cut "good guy" while also not definitively renegade or dark. For most of the two games, he suffers from amnesia and must learn about himself as the audience learns about him.

Also contrary to most fantasty plotlines, the antagonist of the video game series is also shrouded in mystery and ambiguity for most of the time. I do not want to spoil the series, but I feel like I can safely say that many characters in the Witcher series are not exactly who or what they seem to be.

For anyone possibly interested in this series, I recommend both the video games and the literature. Both are excellent works on their own, but they also support each other well as separate works. This is not your typical fantasy story and is worth every penny and hour of experience. For both gamers and readers, this series is a must.

Author Bio:
This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

Visitor Count Soars!

My Thanks to Microsoft Clip Art for the above.  My apologies if any of it says something besides Thank You!

Thank you, who ever you are.   For some reason my visitor count is up dramatically on all three of my blogs.   More important is that quite a few of you are return visitors.     Please note, I do not try and capture any info or place any cookies, I just get attendance numbers not ip addresses.  

Thanks for visiting and please comment when you visit.  Feedback is crucial to know what I am doing right or wrong as far as posts.   As far as my life, well that boat has sailed, critiquing that is probably futile.

Thank you again!

My Disappointing First Look At The Color Nook

I have an eReader from Augen.  It cost $89.00 at Kmart.   It is a bit quirky regarding some downloads but for the most part it works as an eReader. There is no, make that NO technical support from Augen.   It does have a color screen that is NOT touch.  I have loaded in some family photos and music.   I can read and listen to music.   I can surf the web at speeds akin to my old 56k modem.   It is not a great eReader but it was cheap.

After much research I decided that the Nook was worth looking at.   It has a color touch screen, supports Flash and WIFI surfing. From my reading it seemed like it is a thinly disguised iPad want-to-be.   The price compared to any other name brand tablet is ridiculously cheap, $249.00.  

I have had a craving for a tablet ever since my dearly beloved sister’s two week visit and her insidious purchase of an iPad2.   I don’t need any kind of tablet, I have an adequate eReader,  a working laptop and desktop so I really don’t NEED anyone’s tablet. However there is no explaining lust and I sadly am in a stage of tablet lust.   

Recently today I went to Staples to look at the Nook.   It was somewhat akin to the prince discovering Cinderella was really the ugliest of the step sisters.   Now I will offer the caveat that it was the Staples display model.   This caveat will allow Barnes and Noble the opportunity to claim that the display model was defective and truly it may have been.  If after waving my arms and kneeling in subservience I had gotten someone from Staples to come over and talk with me, I may have discovered that the display Nook was not representative of a fresh, out of the box Nook.   Since none of the aforementioned behavior was able to attract a Staples sales consultant, I really don’t know if my evaluation of the Nook is accurate. 

It seemed a tad heavy but solid feeling.   The touch screen was more like a jab screen.  It certainly didn’t have as sensitive touch as my beloved Droid X. It was slowwwwwwww.   Trying to move from screen to screen was dreadfully slow.   Again, no comparisons to the Droid X which is just a phone.   Who knows how surfing
would be as the browser said the settings were wrong for wireless and the unit would not allow entry to the settings to check them for the wireless connection?  The single story I got to load was a cute little color picture book featuring an elephant.   The story paged well after it loaded and really that is crucial in an eReader.

Overall my sampling of the Nook left my tablet lust feeling as if a bucket of ice cold logic had been dumped on me. 

 I really wanted to like it so I could convince myself to buy it.
Comparing it to the Augen at $89.00 and zero tech support, I have to feel a little better about my Augen.   Be careful what you read!  I have read many kudos for the Nook but my personal experience has been less than stellar.  

Seventh Star Press Acquires H. David Blalock's New Urban Fantasy Series, The Angelkiller Triad

You may wonder why I publicize Seventh Star Press.   They are one of the few scifi/fantasy publishers that seem to respect  both the indie author and indie blogger.   They bend over backward to accommodate those of us in the blogging world.   It is sad but unnamed mainstream scifi/fantasy houses seem to ignore those of us who aren't backed by some financial powerhouse.   So kudos to Seventh Star Press, it is a no brainer to support someone who reciprocates with support.   BTW there has never been any pressure, subtle or otherwise to post positive reviews, they send us the books and leave the reviewing to us.   Ethics and support, what more can you ask?


Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the acquisition of The Angelkiller Triad, a provocative new urban fantasy series, as H. David Blalock becomes a member of the publishing company's growing family of authors.

The acquisition comes right on the heels of the addition of D.A Adams'
fantasy series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, and follows a strong run of releases that has seen titles such as Jackie Gamber's Redheart (YA
fantasy) and Steven Shrewsbury's Thrall (heroic fantasy) meet with a very warm reception from reviewers and readers alike.  It is yet another strong testament to Seventh Star Press's committment to releasing quality titles exhibiting many facets of speculative fiction.

H. David Blalock commented on his recent partnership with SSP.  "I am excited about doing the Angelkiller series with Seventh Star, and honored to be in such talented company. I just hope I can keep up with this high-energy group!"

The first book introduces Jonah Mason, the oldest, and most experienced of the Angelkillers, an elite force in the Army of Light.  They are fighting an ancient war, one in which the Darkness achieved a great triumph long ago that has had profound influence on the fabric of life as we know it.
It is the simple answer as to why bad things happen to good people. The great battle may have been lost, but the war continues in a modern age, pitting Jonah against the Enemy in a way even he had never faced.  A provocative mixture of the supernatural and technological, Angelkiller is a very special, thought-provoking tale, one that shines forth in the upper realms of urban fantasy literature.

Based out of the Memphis area, H. David Blalock has an impressive writing career of 35 years and counting that has achieved numerous publishing credits in print and online mediums.  He is most known for his fantasy novel Ascendant (Sam's Dot Publishing), which was the basis for a twenty minute short film produced in 2010 that featured former WWE wrestler Al Snow.  The sequel to Ascendant, Emperor (Sam's Dot Publishing), was released in March of 2011.  David is also the founder of Imagicopter, an author-driven organization that creates an array of event opportunities for small press authors and artists, while also publishing the highly-regarded Imagyro magazine.

“I was a fan of H. David Blalock since I read Ascendant, which is one of the true gems in fantasy out of the small press world,” fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented.  “Angelkiller represents something that is compelling, thought-provoking, and highly relevant.
With David's mastery of narrative and character, this series is going to be a force to be reckoned with in urban fantasy.”

The projected release date window for Angelkiller is fall of 2011, in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, for readers with the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other electronic reading devices.

Book 2, Traitor Angel, and Book 3, Doom Angel, will be released over the course of 2012 and early 2013.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.thrankeep.com

An Interview with Lory Kaufman Author of The Lens and the Looker

 Author Interview Questions for Lory Kaufman.  Mr. Kaufman’s premise of History Camp is both creative and intriguing.   Having taught history, I have always been appalled at the inability of world leaders to ever look at history for guidance.   Anyone having read the history of Vietnam would have never sent troops there let alone Afghanistan.  I heartily enjoy the concept of History Camp where a future civilization is foresighted enough to look backwards.   Mr. Kaufman has been kind enough to agree to be interviewed.   Many thanks and best of luck with  The Lens and the Looker.  

Hello Bill

Here's the interview.  I hope you and your readers enjoy it.  Usually I let these things "pickle" for a day or three, and often have an editor look at them. Please feel free to correct any spelling mistakes, typos or tense mistakes, which I'm famous for. I do try to write these things in a conversational manner, so it's like we really are talking. Feel free to edit your questions to fit in, as my answers have deviated slightly from the questions in a few instances.

Cheers

Lory

1.)    Why did you write this book?  What initiated this particular burst of creativity?

Burst of creativity? Hardly. More like hard slogging through the confused entrails of my mind. The “burst” started about 1989 and slowly exploded and imploded alternatively for about fifteen years, till I got my life together enough to make it happen.  Why did I write this book? Because I had to. It’s a cliche, but it’s true. Most writers write because they can’t not write. Of course, besides my compulsion, I do have a personal purpose. Maybe you’ll ask me about it later.

2.)    Does your story line develop organically or is it a gestalt before you begin?

I believe a good and true work of art is a bit of both. In fact there’s a third component; objective finishing and polishing with an eye to the public. So, yes, there was a gestalt, a need to express and prove myself, and a feeling I wanted to be part of what I saw as an important conversation about how humans will interact with the planet into the future. That gotten out, I then had to smooth it out and make sure the story wasn’t formulaic and that there was some objective vision of the piece as a whole.  I follow the Steven King rules of writing the first draft “door closed”. That is, nobody reads it, after the premise agreed on, till it’s finished. But when it is finished and I give what I see as a perfect manuscript to either of my editors, (Lou Aronica, big picture editor or my daughter, Jessica Kaufman, line editor) I am always amazed at what they mark up)  “Why didn’t I see that? It’s so blatantly obvious,” I say to myself. Then finally, when the structure and the thousands of other details are changed, the finished product must read seamlessly, like it was always like this and that the author is not standing on a soapbox, spouting a polemic.

3.)    Do you have a favorite character in the book and if so why?

Favorite character in the book?  No, they’re all my children and I love them equally. Artistically and technically, I’m very pleased with Ugilino, Agistino, and the Signora, three characters I was trying to draw à la Mark Twain or Charles Dickens. I really love their colorful period characters that, with all their flaws, are sympathetic and stand out, even when they’re doing less than admirable things.

4.)    Why did you chose Verona for your destination?

I had the concept for History Camps for a long time, and was playing with many settings. When I got in a financial position to follow my dreams of being a writer, about six years ago, I decided I must start reading a lot more. One of the first things I re-read was Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Even though it’s one of the most played off themes in history, I couldn’t resist. Now, I in no way followed that storyline exactly, but just played off the theme, characters and events. One Shakespearean thing that I do try to emulate is layering my plots. My hope is that when the books get re-read, the reader will see and understand the story differently. That fits into your previous question about organic development. 

5.)    What do you like the most about writing?

Being A.D.D., I love living within my imagination. It’s like a drug to me, a high, where I get a tingly feeling up and down my spine when a solution to a plot problem I've been working on for weeks or months finally reveals itself. I also like being part of literary discussion.  Finally, some of my themes are environmentally based, so it allows me to be part of that discussion too.

6.)    Where do your new story ideas come from? 

Now that’s the question, if answered, would allow us to program artificial intelligences with imagination, because it’s like asking, “What is imagination?” I really don’t know where they come from, but I do know how to make it happen. I just tell my subconscious, come up with an idea that addresses these themes or questions and a day, week, month or year later, they show up. I am a strong believer in the fact that the answer is not the goal, but a clear question. Once you can delineate a clear question, the answer is usually obvious.

7.)    What advice has helped the most in your writing?

Read, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, take a workshop, read, write, read, write, read, write, join a writing group, read write, r ead, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, take a workshop, read, write, read, write, read, write, join a writing group, read, write. Just do it!

8.)    How far along are you on The Bronze and the Brimstone?

The Bronze and the Brimstone, the sequel to The Lens and the Looker is finished and just was released. I’m now working on the final book of the Verona Trilogy, entitled, The Loved and the Lost.

9.)    Who is your favorite author and why?

I can’t mention just one. How about I mention a dead author and two live ones? 

Ernest Hemingway is my favorite dead author. His masterpiece, For Whom the Bell Tolls, is a touchstone for me, and informs many of my character sketches and action scenes. Neil Gaiman’s, The Anansi Boys, is another great piece of work, again, whose seemingly light technique really brings the reader into the heads of his characters. Finally, there's David Benioff’s book City of Thieves. I guess the common thread for all of them is the use of what’s known as third person limited writing, which allows the point of view to move around from character to character, but brings the reader right behind the eyes of the characters.

10.) What advice would you give for the want to be writer?

Read, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, take a workshop, read, write, read, write, read, write, join a writing group, read write, read, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, read, write, take a workshop, read, write, read, write, read, write, join a writing group, read, write.  Get the picture?

Thanks Bill, I’ve really enjoyed your questions and look forward to chatting with you and your readers again soon. –Lory Kaufman

The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman

A trio of pending juvenile delinquents is posted to a alternative school.  This takes place in the not too distant future where the alternative school is a representation of a past history.   It is designed to show difficult students how good current life is compared to what the world suffered in previous generations.   A reasonable premise that is disrupted by a time traveling history buff from the future results in the trio taking an unwanted trip to the real past. 

Mr. Kaufman’s premise for the History Camp series is close to my heart.   I taught history for a few years and was always shocked at the frequency that history repeated itself primarily because we human beings refused to learn from history.   History camp was a safe sanitized method of helping kids learn from history.  

The characters are likeable, realistic and believable.   Intellectually I have to wonder how modern kids would truly fare if thrust into a prior time.   I have seen how tremendously resilient kids are and Kaufman’s postulating doesn’t seem too out of line with what kids could do. 

It is inspiring to see how three less than stellar children rise to the challenge and survive in a dramatically different environment.   I think the book will be an enjoyable read for a wide range in ages and may even get kids to ponder a bit upon life.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Lory S. Kaufman

Web Site: http://www.history-camp.com/

Mobile blogging.

Once again I am in love with technology.  I am dictating my blog using my beloved droid x.  I am not just reading science fiction anymore, I am living it.  Life is good!

Seventh Star Press Proudly Announces the Acquisition of Fantasy Author D.A. Adams' The Brotherhood of Dwarves Series

This is a press release from Seventh Star Press.   They are one of the few scifi/fantasy publishers that supports independent bloggers.   They provide books to review with no pressure whatsoever on the content of the reviews.   They seem to be constantly searching for new additions to their stable of authors.   D. A. Adams looks like he will be a welcome addition.    I look forward to reading and reviewing his books. 

Seventh Star Press is proud to announce the addition of fantasy author D.A. Adams to its family of writers, with the acquisition of The Brotherhood of Dwarves series.

The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn, the first and second books of the series, were originally released by Third Axe Media.  The two installments received excellent reviews, and sold very strongly on the convention circuit.  Planned for five books total, the third title in the series, The Fall of Dorkuhn, will be released in its first edition by Seventh Star Press.  The series is known for its fresh approach to an iconic fantasy race, blending traditional lore with all-new twists.

“With their outstanding marketing and promotional campaigns, Seventh Star can provide *The Brotherhood of Dwarves* with the exposure it deserves.
I'm excited and proud to be the newest addition to their stable of talented writers, ” commented D.A. Adams, regarding his relationship with the Lexington, Kentucky-based publisher.

The Fall of Dorkuhn continues the story of the dwarf Roskin.  In the newest adventure of the series, Roskin returns home to a kingdom divided by war with the ogres.  On one side, his father desires to restore peace, but on the other, Master Sondious, seeking revenge for having been crippled, seeks to escalate the offensive aggression.  Roskin and his friends make a desperate attempt to resolve the growing rift, but unknown to the dwarves, new and powerful menaces threaten to destroy the entire kingdom...

Living and working in East Tennessee, D. A. Adams is an established novelist, a farmer, a professor of English, and has contributed writing to literary as well as fine art publications.  He also maintains an active blog, entitled "The Ramblings of D. A. Adams".

“D.A. Adams is an outstanding addition to our group of authors,” fellow Seventh Star Press author Stephen Zimmer commented.  “The Brotherhood of Dwarves series is well-crafted storytelling with compelling characters, set within a richly developed fantasy setting.  It has very strong appeal to those who like character-driven stories, as well as to fans of epic fantasy.  For those who love seeing dwarves in fantasy literature, it is immensely rewarding.”

The projected release date window for The Fall of Dorkuhn is late summer of 2011, in limited hardcover, trade paperback, and several eBook formats, covering owners of the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, Sony eReaders, and other electronic reading devices.

The Seventh Star Press editions of The Brotherhood of Dwarves and Red Sky at Dawn will receive trade paperback and eBook releases in late summer of 2011, with a hardcover edition of each to follow shortly afterwards.

Books four and five in The Brotherhood of Dwarves series are slated for tentative releases in late 2012 and 2013.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com , or at the author's site at www.brotherhoodofdwarves.com

The Profession by Steven Pressfield

In a not too far distant future America has gotten fed up with wasting their young.   Mercenaries have become the popular method of dealing with international crisis.  A charismatic general has become the hope of millions.  Is he the hope for the nation or a despot in the wings?

The most frightening something about this book is its believability.  The weapons technology is an obvious extension of of current technology.  The crises faced in the book are also an obvious extension of current world disorder.  Sadly it is easy to see how a charismatic leader could be both a savior and a disaster.

There were good characterizations and enough action for practically anyone.  Don't get discouraged with the overly verbose details and descriptions early in the book.  All the advanced technology and weapons simply come down to the relationship between men.  

This book is certainly worth reading and is a sobering appraisal of a possible path for OUR nation. 

I highly recommend it.

Body of work of Steven Pressfield

Web Site: http://www.stevenpressfield.com/